Kitchen Cabinet Installation & Refinishing

Installing and Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are not truly complete until they receive their finished, hardware, and are properly hung. Any or all of these step can be outsourced, but a full knowledge of each is important so the a project can be fully realized.Cabinets do not have to be only storage boxes of wood,there are numerous ways to make cabinets that are functional and attractive. There are many types of cabinetry and ways to build them have great strength while attractive enough to show your skill as a woodworker.

With a little bit of preparation, and a general understanding of the objective, installing cabinets is really not a big deal! Generally speaking, the objective is to get the cabinets securely attached to the building with level work surfaces. Ideally, the installation should ensure that work surfaces will stay level for many years, as well.In most applications, cabinets will have a 3/4" hanging rail and the
wall will be 1/2" drywall over studs. Install 2 x 6" blocking between studs during wall construction to make attachment of the cabinets significantly easier. Install base cabinets on blocking made of plywood strips rather than the standard 2 x 4" base to keep work surfaces level as the structure ages. Plywood is dimensionally stable, whereas framing lumber can shrink considerably as it dries out — as much as 3/16" in width.

The is no reason to replace structurally sound cabinets. Doors, and drawers in good condition, cab be refinished or resurfaced. Replacing doors and drawers, along with refinishing the base cabinets can be a cost effective way to update a kitchen.

Regardless of whether you are building a stereo cabinet or dresser, a kitchen cabinet or bathroom vanity, basic cabinet construction is the same. A cabinet or furniture piece consists of the carcass or case with two sides, bottom and top, a back and a front. The front may contain drawers, doors or shelves or combinations of the three. Several variations may be used in the construction. The carcass construction can be separated into three types: leg-and-rail, frame-and-panel, and box or case. Leg-and-rail construction is found on chairs, tables, benches, stools and on some furniture such as chests. Frame-and-panel construction is used to make up the component parts of many types of furniture including the sides, doors and interior web frames with dust panels that are used on many fine, hand-built pieces of furniture. Box or case construction is the basic design of dressers, buffets, desks and chests, as well as kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities.